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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Even so, I find this widespread attempted canonization of Thome somewhat laughable, as if there’s no way he could ever have been involved with performance-enhancing drugs.

Maybe he used HGH. There was no testing. Or maybe, unlike dopey Manny Ramirez, he was just smart enough not to get caught. And maybe, because he was such a “nice guy,” some who cover baseball for a living are giving him a free pass.

Friday, August 19, 2011

“I have a contract and a commitment to the Dodgers,” Colletti said. “Until somebody tells me otherwise, that is where my focus is and where my efforts will be.”

Colletti, who has been the Dodgers GM since November 2005, signed a long-term contract extension in October 2009. The actual length of that extension has never been made public, and while Colletti does have an escape clause, it doesn’t kick in until after next season.

However, with the Dodgers presently in bankruptcy and a question of ...

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata has signed a contract extension for six years, a source close to the negotiations told ESPNdeportes.com on Friday.

Tabata’s new deal with the Pirates is guaranteed through the 2016 season and includes a restructuring of his contract for 2011. The team has options for 2017, 2018 and 2019 for a total of $37.25 million.

His salary increases to $500,000 this season, along with a $1 million signing bonus in 2011. Tabata will make $750,000 in 2012, $1 ...

Ruth’s name appeared on 75.6 percent of the 55,834 fan ballots cast from Aug. 8-18. DiMaggio garnered 46 percent of the vote to finish second, Gehrig was third at 43.4 percent and Mantle fourth with 42.8 percent.

Robinson, the only non-Yankee inductee, got 41.2 percent of the vote to easily outdistance Lawrence Taylor, Willie Mays and Joe Namath for the fifth and final spot.

Fortunately for me I am not a baseball fan, or I would be digging deep in my pockets for Joe DiMaggio’s shotgun, which will be auctioned at James D. Julia’s in Maine this October. See, it’s a Winchester Model 21, which is the American double I yearn for – although I’m not sure why I want a 21 instead of a Fox or a Parker. I just do.

But there’s more: this isn’t just any Winchester Model 21 belonging to Joe DiMaggio. It’s ...

Mitchell doesn’t express many regrets about what happened on the ball field. When I asked him one of his favorite memories it wasn’t the World Series, winning the MVP, or the barehanded catch; it was playing shortstop, a position he manned 24 times in his career. Looking back he does wish he went to college, and understands and accepts what happened throughout his career. He is involved with a charity called Athletes for Education, which assists ...

Not exactly baseball related but I’m guessing I’m not the only one who remembers him as a 12 year old baseball player.

While playing for Trumbull, Conn., Drury pitched a complete-game five-hitter and drove in two runs to lead his hometown team to the 1989 Little League World Series title. It seems only fitting that he announced the end of his athletic career while this year’s Little League World Series is being played in Williamsport, Pa.

The Chicago Cubs relieved Jim Hendry of his duties as vice president and general manager on Friday, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Hendry was hired in 1996 as director of player development. He was promoted to scouting director the next season. The 55-year-old Florida native was promoted to general manager in 2002 after serving as assistant to then-president Andy MacPhail.

Under Hendry, the Cubs hired two high-profile managers in Dusty Baker in the fall of 2002 and Lou ...

*After Tuesday’s loss, La Russa spoke of the 30th home run and gave a sarcastic take to Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch: “He’s definitely had a (lousy) year. I wonder where all the experts are now?” And after Wednesday’s win, Pujols told Hummel: “Sometimes, it’s easier to write a story than it is to go out there and hit a baseball. Most (critics) probably never even played the game. They probably never threw ...

It is a legitimate possibility that the Rangers could lose either one of those guys at any moment, and while losing one player for six weeks isn’t usually enough to blow a six-game lead, Hamilton and Cruz are fairly irreplaceable and it would help. The Angels, meanwhile, have had quite a run of health this year, with, basically, only Kendrys Morales on the DL right now. But even if they did lose a player to an injury, you almost wouldn’t notice. ...

But it was one game that had a fatal feel to it when former Angel Mike Napoli broke a scoreless duel between Angels ace Jered Weaver and Rangers starter Colby Lewis with a solo home run leading off the seventh inning. Napoli crushed the high fastball from Weaver 400 feet over the center field wall and seemed to crush his former teammates’ hopes in the dirt around home plate as he stood and admired it briefly—but long enough to draw an icy stare from ...

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has created the Allan H. “Bud” Selig Center for the Archives of Major League Baseball Commissioners, Hall Chairman Jane Forbes Clark announced Wednesday night at a dinner with Commissioner Selig and representatives from the 30 MLB teams.

The center houses documents and photos of MLB’s nine commissioners and features a conference center and workspace for research and archival study. Wednesday’s dinner capped the first day of the quarterly Owners’ Meetings, ...

Raines has been on the Hall of Fame ballot since 2008, receiving 37.5 percent of the vote this year — well short of the 75 percent needed to get elected. Raines will remain eligible for the next 11 years as long as he gets 5 percent of the vote. Raines said his numbers over a 23-year career — a .294 batting average, 2,605 hits, 980 RBIs and 808 stolen bases (fifth all-time) as well as the status of one of the best leadoff hitters to play ...

Milwaukee needs a first baseman, but players are rather shy of offers. That Milwaukee first base job seems to be hoodooed. Dan McGann suicided; Pat Hynes, who was there before him, was murdered, and Quate Bateman, who was ...

Joe Mauer can now add right field to his list of positions he’s played in his big league career.

Mauer, who also made his debut at first base earlier this year, made his first-ever start in right field on Thursday against the Yankees.

Mauer was forced to play in the outfield for the first time in his professional career, as the club has been hit by a recent rash of injuries, including Michael Cuddyer (neck herniation), Matt Tolbert (sprained left wrist) and Denard Span (migraines). ...

Thursday, August 18, 2011

A former U.S. representative who prodded the Justice Department investigation that led to charges against Roger Clemens for lying to Congress said the pitcher has paid his dues, and he doesn’t see a reason to continue putting him on trial.

“I think he’s suffered enough,” said former Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, who was the top Republican on the committee in 2008, when Mr. Clemens testified he had not used steroids.

“There really was a misunderstanding about what the ground rule represented,” Torre said as two days of Owners’ Meetings ended at the Otesaga Resort Hotel. “The cushion and the little screen and railing are in the ballpark. I talked to Dana DeMuth, and obviously last night from what went on, he was very sure that that ball was a home run because it hit that back fence, which he ...

Bisons manager Tim Teufel got quite the surprise last night when he stepped up to home plate to exchange line-up cards with Toledo manager Phil Nevin.

“It kind of leaked out at home plate, Phil was kind enough to tell me when we were passing out the line-up cards that he had a pitching change,” Teufel said. “So I said, ‘well who’s the pitcher?’ and he goes, ‘some guy name Toyful or Teefull.’ And I said stop messing around with me and he told me, ...

The question around town is why Betemit can’t consistently get into the starting lineup despite batting .316 since the trade? Here are some haunting numbers. Betemit has been rested the same amount of games by Leyland in 28 games as he rested Inge in 78 games. Once again, Betemit’s batting average is about 140 points higher.

Let me be the first to warn you folks who study the Tigers lineup like the back of your hand. Wear a baseball cap for ...

Francoeur has long been a favorite of Royals general manager Dayton Moore, the Royals’ general manager who started his career in the Braves system, like Francoeur. And not only that, he’s fit in well with the Royals, who have been the darling of many for their talented minor league system, but his eventual replacement, Wil Myers, is still just 20 years old and seen his numbers drop a bit at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. The best-case scenario is Myers coming up sometime in 2013 and Francoeur to ...

Mike Jacobs, a first baseman with the Colorado Rockies organization who has played for the Mets, is the first baseball player to test positive for the banned drug human growth hormone and will be suspended by Major League Baseball on Thursday, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Jacobs provided the blood sample over the past few months and that sample was sent to a drug testing lab at U.C.L.A., which is accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Scientists ...

Question: Were those wall-dividing pads added after the Kauffman Stadium renovations?

The Yankees believed that home run balls had to clear the chain-linked portion of the fence, essentially considering this to be the upper boundary of the outfield wall. Umpires apparently ruled that the ledge of the main fence was the upper boundary of the wall. Because Butler’s drive hit the ledge—which is what replays confirmed—umpires ruled the drive a home run.

This being the era of instant communication, even before the last out was recorded, the tweets began chirping and the chat rooms buzzed with speculation that Mayberry could or should replace Raul Ibanez as the regular leftfielder for the rest of the season.

Three words: Not. Gonna. Happen.

...Which is why the Phillies aren’t going to bury Ibanez. For one thing, Manuel has too much respect for him. For another, it’s not how ...

It’s hard to believe the Los Angeles Angels will continue to watch baseball’s worst-hitting offense since the All-Star break drag this team out of a pennant race. At some point, don’t they reach for a knife and cut the cord?

How much longer can they field a National League lineup playing in the American League? It’s as though their pitchers have to hit while other teams get the advantage of a designated ...